1. Field
The present invention relates to a refrigerator. More particularly, to a refrigerator having an ice making device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a conventional refrigerator having a freezing compartment and a refrigerating compartment, into which cold air heat-exchanged at an evaporator is introduced, and is provided with a machinery compartment arranged at a rear side of the freezing compartment or refrigerating compartment beneath the freezing compartment or refrigerating compartment, to install a compressor and a condenser. In conventional refrigerator, the refrigerating compartment can store food in a fresh state at a temperature of about 3 to 5° C., and the freezing compartment can store food in a frozen state at a sub-zero temperature for a prolonged period of time.
One type of conventional refrigerator includes an upper compartment functioning as a refrigerating compartment, to store beverage or foods to be stored for a short period of time, and a lower compartment functioning as a freezing compartment. This type of conventional refrigerator also includes an ice making device provided with a dispenser arranged at a front side of a door of the ice making device, in order to allow the user to conveniently take ice out of the ice making device.
An example of such a conventional refrigerator is disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006/0090496. The disclosed refrigerator includes a lower compartment functioning as a freezing compartment and an upper compartment functioning as a refrigerating compartment. An ice making region is defined at an upper or lower corner of the refrigerating compartment.
When the ice making compartment is defined at an upper corner of the refrigerating compartment, an air duct is provided to guide cold air present in the freezing compartment defined at a lower portion of the refrigerator to the ice making region, and thus supplies cold air required to make ice.
Although not disclosed in the above-mentioned publication, a communication passage is formed between the ice making region and the refrigerating compartment, in order to discharge cold air introduced into the ice making region to the refrigerating compartment after making of ice using the cold air, and thus to maintain the refrigerating compartment at an appropriate refrigerating temperature. The cold air flows toward an evaporator provided at the freezing compartment, and is then guided to the ice making region via the air duct after being heat-exchanged at the evaporator. Thus, the cold air is circulated. A damper is provided in the communication passage between the ice making region and the refrigerating compartment. In accordance with opening/closing of the damper, the ice making region and refrigerating compartment are maintained at desired temperatures, respectively.
However, conventional refrigerators including the refrigerator disclosed in the above-mentioned publication perform supply of cold air for maintaining the freezing compartment in a desired freezing state, supply of cold air for making ice in the ice making region, and supply of cold air for maintaining the refrigerating compartment in a desired refrigerating state. For this reason, the supply of cold air may be insufficient, thereby causing a degradation in ice making performance.
When the door of the refrigerating compartment is frequently opened and closed, the temperature of cold air present in the refrigerating compartment increases. The temperature-increased cold air is heat-exchanged through an evaporator after being circulated into the freezing compartment. In this case, the heat-exchanged cold air exhibits a relatively high temperature because the temperature of the cold air passing the evaporator is relatively high. The cold air, which has a relatively high temperature, degrades the ice making performance.
Furthermore, the freezing compartment, refrigerating compartment, and ice making region communicate with one another. As a result, the smell of food stored in one compartment is diffused to the remaining compartments. In particular, when the smell of food stored in the refrigerating compartment is diffused to the ice making region, there is a problem in that the food smell is absorbed into the ice made in the ice making region.
During an ice making operation, the damper installed in the communication passage may be maintained in a closed state. In this case, however, there is a problem in that it is impossible to supply cold air simultaneously to the three compartments, namely, the freezing compartment, refrigerating compartment, and ice making region.